1998 Mercury Mystique seats

Seating and safety restraints
64To improve the fit of lap and
shoulder belts on children who
have outgrown child safety seats,
Ford recommends use of a belt-
positioning booster seat that is
labelled as conforming to all federal
motor vehicle safety standards.
Belt-positioning booster seats raise
the child and provide a shorter,
firmer seating posture and better
fit of lap and shoulder belts on the
child. A belt-positioning booster
seat should be used if the shoulder
belt rests in front of the child’s face
or neck, or if the lap belt does not
fit snugly on both thighs, or if the
thighs are too short to let the child
sit all the way back on the seat
cushion when the lower legs hang
over the edge of the seat cushion.
You may wish to dicuss the special
needs of your child with your
pediatrician.
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Seating and safety restraints
65
Built-in child safety seat
(if equipped)
The rear seat may include a built-in
child seat. This child seat conforms
to all Federal and local motor
vehicle safety standards. Read the
labels located on the child seat
cushion and shoulder belt for
information on the built-in child
seat.
Use the built-in child seat only if
the child is at least one year old,
weighs 10-27 kg (22-60 lbs) and
the child’s shoulders fit below the
shoulder harness slots on the built-
in child seat.
Children not meeting these
requirements should be secured in
an aftermarket seat. Refer to Child
safety seatsin this chapter. Built-in child seat
All built-in child restraints,
including seats, buckles,
retractors, seat latches, interlocks,
and attaching hardware should be
inspected by a qualified dealer
technician after any collision.
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Seating and safety restraints
66
Built-in child seat retractors
The belts on built-in child seats are
equipped with a retractor. The
retractor will automatically snug
the belts around the child. If the
belts do not remain snug, take the
vehicle to your dealer or a qualified
technician for child seat repair. The
belts will not remain snug during a
collision if the retractor is not
functioning properly.
Child seat interlock safety
feature
The interlock ensures that a child
is not placed in the integrated child
seat when the folding seatback is
not securely latched.
It prevents the seatback from being
unlatched while the child seat is in
use. When the child seat is
deployed, the seatback cannot be
released.
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Seating and safety restraints
70
To stow the built-in child seat
Return the child seat cushion to
the upright position, then press
firmly in the center and top of the
child seat.
Inspecting the built-in child seat
after a collision
All built-in child restraints,
including seats, buckles, retractors,
seat latches, interlocks and
attaching hardware should be
inspected by your dealer or a
qualified technician after any
collision. If the child seat was in
use during a collision, Ford
recommends replacing it. Built-in
child restraints not in use during a
collision should be inspected and
replaced if either damage or
improper operation is noted.
Removing your child from the
built-in child seat
1. Squeeze the tabs on the top and
the bottom of the chest clip and
pull the halves apart to open the
chest clip.
2. Press the release button on the
crotch safety belt buckle.
3. Slide the shoulder belts off the
child’s shoulders and remove the
child.
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Seating and safety restraints
71
Carefully follow all of the
manufacturer’s instructions
included with the safety seat you
put in your vehicle. If you do not
install and use the safety seat
properly, the child may be injured
in a sudden stop or collision.
Ford recommends the use of a
child safety seat having a top tether
strap. Install the child safety seat in
a seating position which is capable
of providing a tether anchorage.
For more information on top tether
straps see Attaching safety seats
with tether strapsin this chapter.
When installing a child safety seat:
•Use the correct safety belt buckle
for that seating postion.
•Make sure the tongue is securely
fastened in the buckle.
•Keep the buckle release button
pointing up and away from the
safety seat, with the tongue
between the child seat and the
release button, to prevent
accidental unbuckling.
•Put the safety belt in the
automatic locking mode. Refer to
Using automatic locking mode
in this chapter. Child safety seats
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Seating and safety restraints
72
AIRBAGInstalling child safety seats in
combination lap and shoulder
belt seat positions
1. Position the child safety seat in a
seat with a combination lap and
shoulder belt.
2. Pull down on the shoulder belt
and then grasp the shoulder belt
and lap belt together.
3. While holding the shoulder and
lap belt portions together, route
the tongue through the child seat
according to the child seat
manufacturer’s instructions. Be
sure the belt webbing is not
twisted.
When using forward-facing
child seats move the
passenger seat as far back from
the instrument panel as possible.
Never secure rear-facing infant
seats in the front seat.
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Seating and safety restraints
748. Allow the safety belt to retract to
remove any slack in the belt.
9. Before placing the child in the
seat, forcibly tilt the seat forward
and back to make sure the seat is
securely held in place.
10. Try to pull the belt out of the
retractor to make sure the
retractor is in automatic locking
mode (you should not be able to
pull more belt out). If the retractor
is not locked, unbuckle the belt and
repeat steps two through nine.
Check to make sure the child seat
is properly secured before each
use.
Attaching safety seats with
tether straps
Some manufacturers make safety
seats that include a tether strap
that goes over the back of the
vehicle seat and attaches to an
anchoring point. Other
manufacturers offer their tether
strap as an accessory. Contact the
manufacturer of your child safety
seat for information about ordering
a tether strap.
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Driving
99
It is extremly dangerous to
ride in a cargo area, inside or
outside of a vehicle. In a collision,
people riding in these areas are
more likely to be seriously injured
or killed. Do not allow people to
ride in any area of your vehicle
that is not equipped with seats
and safety belts. Be sure everyone
in your vehicle is in a seat and
using a safety belt properly.
Driving with a heavy load
The total weight of the vehicle plus
the total weight of passengers and
cargo should never exceed the
GVWR.
The weight that the vehicle carries
over the front and rear axles
should never exceed the GAWR for
the respective axle.
The weight limits of your vehicle’s
tires affect the GVWR and GAWR
limitations. Using tires with higher
weight limits than the original tires
will not increase the GVWR or
GAWR of your vehicle; using tires
with lower weight limits may lower
the GVWR or GAWR of your
vehicle.
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